@#$%^&* Bose Systems

[floppygoat]

Is there any reasonable way to switch out a Bose Receiver with and aftermarket receiver? This I would like to do in a 2003 Mercedes ML 500.

Tony Williams

[johnastockman]

Is there any reasonable way to switch out a Bose Receiver with and aftermarket receiver? This I would like to do in a 2003 Mercedes ML 500.

Tony Williams

Unfortunately, the bose car systems I've seen are proprietary, working only with the speakers/amps that are in there already. The Merc system could be different, but the bose car speakers sometimes each have their own separate amps and are down around 2-3 ohms, so an aftermarket head-unit won't work with the bose speakers. Best to call these guys:

www.crutchfield.com

Might not be able to find what you need on the web-site, so call the 800 number...the techs can help you get what you need, if there are any options for different head-units or an interface that will allow you to use another head-unit.

John A.

[MagicO309d]

The factory head unit is pretty good on the later W163 chassis ML's, those double DIN radios were produced by Alpine. If you want to swap it out anyway, it's not too big of a deal and Crutchfield or a local shop will be a good resource.

You will lose Tele Aid, CD Changer, integrated phone system, and Sirius because these systems connect via MB's fiber optic D2B ring bus system. On the bright side, I believe that the Bose amp was still connected via typical line level outputs on all W163's.